 |
 |
 |
Inhabited first by the Pygmy people, Gabon was then occupied by the Bantu tribes prior to being settled by the Europeans (Portuguese) in the 15th century. In the 1800’s, the French founded Franceville and officially occupied Gabon.
Gabon was one of the four territories of French Equatorial Africa from 1910 until 1959. The territories became independent on August 17, 1960.
Since its independence Gabon has been ruled by three presidents.
Léon M’ba became the first president in 1961. During his presidency, other political parties gradually were excluded from power, the Constitution was changed to vest power in the Presidency, press was censored, political demonstrates were banned and freedom of expression was greatly curtailed.
An army coup in January of 1964, threatened to oust M’ba from power. However, the French interests were still strong and French paratroopers were flown in to quell the rebellion. Within a few days of fighting, the coup was over and M’ba’s powers were restored.
After M’ba’s death in 1967, El Hadj Omar Bongo Ondimba became president, and he put Gabon firmly on the map as an important future ecotourism destination by designating more than 11% of the nation's territory to be part of its national park system (with 13 parks in total), one of the largest proportions of nature parkland in the world.
Ondimba served as president until his death in June, 2009. In September, 2009, Ali Ben Bongo (Omar Bongo’s son) was elected president.
Abundant natural resources (namely oil) and considerable foreign support have helped make Gabon one of the more prosperous and stable African countries. In fact, Gabon has a per capital income of nearly four times the average for most of sub-Saharan Africa.
Gabon also exports manganese, iron and wood, trading primarily with the United States, China and Russia.
|
| |
|
 |
|
- Official Name The Gabonese Republic
- Population 1,448,159
- Capital City Libreville (pop. 578,156)
- Currency CFA Franc
- Currency Converter
- Languages French (official), and others
- Religions Muslim, Christian, others
|
| |
|
 |
|
|
| |
|
 |
|
- Land Area 257,670 sq km (99,486 sq miles)
- Highest Point Mt. Iboundji, 1,574 m (5,165 ft)
- Lowest Point Atlantic Ocean, 0 m (0 ft)
|
| |
|
 |
|
Gabon is easily divided into three distinct regions: a narrow coastal plain, a hilly mountainous interior, and savanna in the far-east and south. Of note, rainforests cover nearly 85% of the country.
The coastal plains form a large section of the World Wildlife Fund's Atlantic Equatorial coastal forests ecoregion and contain patches of Central African mangroves.
Significant mountains include the Cristal Mountains in the northeast and the central Chaillu Massif (a large mountain mass).
The country also has hundreds of caves located in the dolomite and limestone rocks formations in the east central areas.
Gabon is drained by numerous rivers; the largest is the Ogooué which is 746 miles, (1,200 km) long.
|
| |
|  |
|
- Latitude/Longitude 1º 00' S, 11º 45' E
|
| |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
| |
|  |
|
|
|
| |
|  |
|
|
|
|
| |
|  |
|
Like many African countries Gabon's tourist industry is also underdeveloped. Nevertheless, travelers do enjoy Gabon's beaches, ocean and inland fishing facilities, incredible wildlife, the amazing falls on the Ogooué River and the Crystal Mountains.
Bush expeditions and safari trips are growing in popularity, and interested tourists now have a chance to visit the famous hospital founded by Dr. Albert Schweitzer in Lambaréné.
Gabon is internationally renowned for its national parks, especially Loango National Park. This natural wonder is considered “Africa's Last Eden.” The park consists of savannah, mangroves and forest, and white sand beaches. It also offers unique opportunities to see elephants, hippos, leopards, gorillas, and buffalo roaming on the beach. Since the park is void of people and villages, the habitat has been well preserved.
Many of the animals are only seen in certain regions of the park, with the exception of elephants and buffalo as they wander all over the reserve. Note that the park has one of the highest concentration of dolphins and whales in Africa off its coast, second only to South Africa.
Lope National Park contains the last grass savannahs in Central Africa. It's home to nearly 400 species of birds including the rosy bee-eater, chocolate backed kingfisher, emerald cuckoo, great blue turaco, and the crowned hawk eagle. It's also home to numerous species of mammals including lowland gorillas, chimpanzees, forest elephants and leopards.
Cristal Mountain National Park is considered one of the planet's biodiversity hotspots. The park's toothy-edged mountains and interesting species of plant life and reptiles make the park a great sightseeing trip.
Travel Recommendations Before finalizing and/or making your travel plans to any worldwide destination, we strongly recommend you authenticate and research all of the important details regarding applicable health, passport and visa requirements.
If you require additional assistance, the experienced professionals at Travel Visa Pro can answer all of your questions!
|
| |
|  |
|
Gabon, located on the Equator, has a hot and humid climate throughout the year. The hottest month is January, with an average high at Libreville of 31° C (88° F ) and an avg. low of 23° C (73° F ).
From June to early October there is very liitle rain, and that trend generally continues through January. From February through May, heavy rainfall is common.
|
| |
|
|
|
 |
|
The coastline of Gabon...
Forest elephant, Gabon...
Surfing hippo, Gabon...
An Atlantic Ocean beach, Gabon... |
| |
|
